in this thread I, and anyone else, will post info about their bike rides. I guess it doesn't have to be a road bike, but I can't change the thread title now! :)
today I rode to Walden Pond in Concord, MA. if anyone is familiar with Henry David Thoreau, they should know the name and significance of this pond. all I really got to see was the miserable-looking beach because I was in my cycling shoes and couldn't go exploring in the woods, but I'd like to go back some other and do that.
this is the route that I took.
and cyclocomputer stats:
this was my road bike's maiden voyage, and she performed admirably! much better than riding fixed that far and with that many hills.
today I rode to Walden Pond in Concord, MA. if anyone is familiar with Henry David Thoreau, they should know the name and significance of this pond. all I really got to see was the miserable-looking beach because I was in my cycling shoes and couldn't go exploring in the woods, but I'd like to go back some other and do that.
this is the route that I took.
and cyclocomputer stats:
Time: 3:15:02 Distance: 45.95 mi Average speed: 14.1 mph Max speed: 32.7 mph
this was my road bike's maiden voyage, and she performed admirably! much better than riding fixed that far and with that many hills.
*some other time
i've been riding my bike every day for about a month now. not commuting, just for fun
i'm actually reading Walden right now. cool beans!
I am wanting to learn more about road bikes.. all i have right now is a "mountain bike". would it be worth it to trade in for a road bike for commuting? the only reason i have a mountain bike is because i got it a few years ago and thats what i usually went with. I certainly don't bike on mountains or trails. all i would like my bike for is commuting.
hills seem like a huge task for me. I guess i am out of shape a bit, but it seems like the slightest slope does me in. does this have to do with the fact that i have a mountain bike and not a road bike? my current bike seems a lot bulkier and heavy than it really needs to be. I am wondering if that contributes to the extra effort when climbing hills?
-bike newb
I am wanting to learn more about road bikes.. all i have right now is a "mountain bike". would it be worth it to trade in for a road bike for commuting? the only reason i have a mountain bike is because i got it a few years ago and thats what i usually went with. I certainly don't bike on mountains or trails. all i would like my bike for is commuting.
hills seem like a huge task for me. I guess i am out of shape a bit, but it seems like the slightest slope does me in. does this have to do with the fact that i have a mountain bike and not a road bike? my current bike seems a lot bulkier and heavy than it really needs to be. I am wondering if that contributes to the extra effort when climbing hills?
-bike newb
> hills seem like a huge task for me. I guess i am out of shape a bit, but it seems like the slightest slope does me in.
hills do me in as well. granted, i'm riding a fixed-gear bike with an intense gear ratio.
are you using your gears properly? from what i've been told, you want to be using gears that keep your feet at a high rpm. so when you're going fast, choose a gear that keeps your feet revolving a lot. and when you're on a hill, choose a gear with less gain that will also keep your feet revolving a lot. (sorry if this seems insulting because it's too basic. but i didn't always know that it's actually better exercise and healthier to get a higher rpm.)
> I am wondering if that contributes to the extra effort when climbing hills?
probably. but lots of bikes are bulky.
> would it be worth it to trade in for a road bike for commuting?
i don't know if trades are always a good deal. you might just want to try to find a used road bike at a pawn shop or at a garage sale.
i think the big difference between mountain bikes and road bikes is their geometry. which mostly comes down to comfort. for your purposes, at least at first, a mountain bike should be about as good as a road bike.
hills do me in as well. granted, i'm riding a fixed-gear bike with an intense gear ratio.
are you using your gears properly? from what i've been told, you want to be using gears that keep your feet at a high rpm. so when you're going fast, choose a gear that keeps your feet revolving a lot. and when you're on a hill, choose a gear with less gain that will also keep your feet revolving a lot. (sorry if this seems insulting because it's too basic. but i didn't always know that it's actually better exercise and healthier to get a higher rpm.)
> I am wondering if that contributes to the extra effort when climbing hills?
probably. but lots of bikes are bulky.
> would it be worth it to trade in for a road bike for commuting?
i don't know if trades are always a good deal. you might just want to try to find a used road bike at a pawn shop or at a garage sale.
i think the big difference between mountain bikes and road bikes is their geometry. which mostly comes down to comfort. for your purposes, at least at first, a mountain bike should be about as good as a road bike.
> are you using your gears properly?
I believe so. I usually keep at a high rate. I think i just need to exercise more. the hills in Ashland are nuts and my house is right at the top of a big one.
I believe so. I usually keep at a high rate. I think i just need to exercise more. the hills in Ashland are nuts and my house is right at the top of a big one.
i've got the opposite problem, i live in the bottom of a valley
I don't know about trading it in, but you could just sell it on Craigslist or something and put the money toward a road bike. or if you can't have any time without a bike, suck it up and buy a road bike (with a credit card, if you want or need to) and plan on selling the mountain bike.
I think it would make a huge difference in not just the hills but in your overall speed in getting around on flat ground and stuff.
the hills on this ride in certain parts sucked pretty bad and I'd be in the lowest gear and struggling to get up. I think that was mostly just from being tired, as most of the hills were in the last twenty miles of the ride.
I think it would make a huge difference in not just the hills but in your overall speed in getting around on flat ground and stuff.
the hills on this ride in certain parts sucked pretty bad and I'd be in the lowest gear and struggling to get up. I think that was mostly just from being tired, as most of the hills were in the last twenty miles of the ride.
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> suck it up and buy a road bike (with a credit card, if you want or need to) and plan on selling the mountain bike.
people willing to invest in capital! yes!
> I think it would make a huge difference in not just the hills but in your overall speed in getting around on flat ground and stuff.
that's good to know. i thought it was mostly a comfort and style difference. is this due to the larger wheel size and the range of gears?
people willing to invest in capital! yes!
> I think it would make a huge difference in not just the hills but in your overall speed in getting around on flat ground and stuff.
that's good to know. i thought it was mostly a comfort and style difference. is this due to the larger wheel size and the range of gears?
I'm not sure about the range of gears on mountain bikes, but the availability of large gears allows you to bomb around if you want to or just cruise at like 20-22 mph. the weight I would imagine makes a difference too. I bet your position on the bike does too; i.e., on a mountain bike the bars are probably higher off the ground than the saddle and on a road bike the saddle is above the bars and you're in a more aerodynamic posture. and finally I bet the tires make a huge difference. I haven't ridden a "mountain" bike since I was a kid, but the huge knobby tires don't exactly speed over pavement.
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that sounds pretty sweet, Fsmart. you could archive that post and put the link inside pre tags.
(I don't understand archiving.) Anyways I will just summarize. 35 mile dirt road ride last friday in the setting sun (in the mountains) from 6-8:30ish. Bike A1 Specialized Rockhopper Mountain Bike with street tires (100~ psi but of a width about 2.5"). Average speed 13.5 mph. Temperature sunny and comfortably breezy.
(sweet hyperlinks for dummies!)
http://tinyurl.com/6yw89q
(sweet hyperlinks for dummies!)
http://tinyurl.com/6yw89q
Click "archive" by the time stamp on your post. The post disappears from the thread but is also saved FOREVER somewhere deep down in ttf's mysterious shadow areas.
Larz is all about preservation of information. Except for when he deletes the recycle bin on his computer because he wants to uber-delete things in extra-intense fashions so that he can be sure they are GONE FOREVER.
Yes. Confusing.
Larz is all about preservation of information. Except for when he deletes the recycle bin on his computer because he wants to uber-delete things in extra-intense fashions so that he can be sure they are GONE FOREVER.
Yes. Confusing.
haha. Either way, saved forever or gone forever!
that looks like a fun ride, Fsmart. something about riding on a trail sounds nice. I'd like to get into mountain biking at some point.
Your bike around Boston seems pretty damn sweet. I would love to have that kind of opportunity. I biked around Xela Guatemala (http://tinyurl.com/5jgne5) for a day when I was there and Stockholm Sweden (http://tinyurl.com/6fkp97) but I haven't had the chance to bike out East at all.
I just got a street bike a Sekai 2400 which is about 25 years old but rides beautifully. I have expanded my route home so as to increase my enjoyment (http://tinyurl.com/69f6mo). I have turned a 2 mile semi urban ride into a 7 mile rural trip. Smell them cows. I think I will try to expand my use of the route so that I use it going to work as well as coming home.
Holly monkeys! I just had one of the biggest daddy long legged I have ever seen crawling down my arm. I guess that is what you get when you live in a garage and leave the door always partially open in the summer. It has crawled off now.
Anyways, biking is an intricate part of my life. I haven't owned a car for five years now and my primary mode of transportation is behind the handle bars, which can be a bit rough durning montana winters.
By the way, sorry to disappoint but I wouldn't consider that recent bike trip I did really a trail. It was just an poorly maintained dirt road that gave my forearms one hell of shaking but did not demand any "technical skill" as I think people who really do that sort of thing would say. I would like to bust out into the trail but I haven't done so yet.
I just got a street bike a Sekai 2400 which is about 25 years old but rides beautifully. I have expanded my route home so as to increase my enjoyment (http://tinyurl.com/69f6mo). I have turned a 2 mile semi urban ride into a 7 mile rural trip. Smell them cows. I think I will try to expand my use of the route so that I use it going to work as well as coming home.
Holly monkeys! I just had one of the biggest daddy long legged I have ever seen crawling down my arm. I guess that is what you get when you live in a garage and leave the door always partially open in the summer. It has crawled off now.
Anyways, biking is an intricate part of my life. I haven't owned a car for five years now and my primary mode of transportation is behind the handle bars, which can be a bit rough durning montana winters.
By the way, sorry to disappoint but I wouldn't consider that recent bike trip I did really a trail. It was just an poorly maintained dirt road that gave my forearms one hell of shaking but did not demand any "technical skill" as I think people who really do that sort of thing would say. I would like to bust out into the trail but I haven't done so yet.
lose the parentheses
yesterday: http://tinyurl.com/57mvju
started at home (a), and went to a friend (b). we decided to visit another friend (f). i biked and he walked to lunner (c) first to get some food, then to some farm at grindvoll (d) where his bike was. we immediatly had a lot of rain, all the way down to sløvika, where it cleared up. we took a small break before going to toso, jevnaker. finally there, we first went to a shop (e), and then to the friend (f). we had a barbecue, and stayed there all night, solving our rubik's cubes.
started at home (a), and went to a friend (b). we decided to visit another friend (f). i biked and he walked to lunner (c) first to get some food, then to some farm at grindvoll (d) where his bike was. we immediatly had a lot of rain, all the way down to sløvika, where it cleared up. we took a small break before going to toso, jevnaker. finally there, we first went to a shop (e), and then to the friend (f). we had a barbecue, and stayed there all night, solving our rubik's cubes.
haha. sweet...looks beautiful, sounds awesome.
it was great when we got to the fjord and the sun shone through. fortunately, it was all downhill before that
> we had a barbecue, and stayed there all night, solving our rubik's cubes.
haha
haha
true story :)
Today I biked around bozeman trails and took the cottonwood route home ~ 8 miles. On the route I found unexpectedly an artificial boulder meant for climbing. So I climbed it trying out several routes, quite surprising and awesome. (Ok I know this isn't biking related but it seems relevant) Once home I donned the leg weights (12.5 lbs per ankle and 2.5 per wrist) and walked ~ 4 miles on trails around my house (sidewalks and yuppie half-private park trails). Then all relaxed from some decent exercise I got a surprise call from a friend who wanted to go mountain bike riding now (at 8:30). So drove into the mountains and biked ~ 3 miles up turned on our bike lights and biked ~3 miles back. Altogether, a pretty awesome day. Oh and the weather was glorious.
short little excursion http://tinyurl.com/5puqvl
not a road bike ride, but I was all over the place yesterday on my fixed.
home --> work --> tutoring --> dinner --> friend's --> home
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3232915
home --> work --> tutoring --> dinner --> friend's --> home
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3232915
I rode to Duxbury Beach today for no reason other than it looked cool on a map.
this was my route.
I forgot to bring my wallet or any money and I didn't eat anything except for half a beer this morning, so I had to bum three bucks off a guy outside a gas station to get something to eat.
this was my route.
Time: 5:43:10 Distance: 85.19 mi Average speed: 14.8 mph Max speed: 31.0 mph
I forgot to bring my wallet or any money and I didn't eat anything except for half a beer this morning, so I had to bum three bucks off a guy outside a gas station to get something to eat.
also, I went too far on 3A on the way there and had to turn around.
> so I had to bum three bucks off a guy outside a gas station to get something to eat.
It's fun imagining you asking for this
It's fun imagining you asking for this
it was weird because I've never done it before. kind of makes you feel like a scumbag.
Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I had to ask a lady outside the airport in San Jose for change for a dollar to use the payphone. The only thing I took solace in was the fact that I was dressed nicely and my hair was clean.
I did tell her I could pay her back with bills, but she told me to forget it and gave me like 20 quarters. She said "think of it as good karma" :)
I did tell her I could pay her back with bills, but she told me to forget it and gave me like 20 quarters. She said "think of it as good karma" :)
I'm sure you were also dressed nicely and had clean hair!
of course. I got the worst fucking sunburn though. didn't even cross my mind to wear sunblock.
do you have helmet strap marks on your face?
haha, I don't think so. but I do kind of have a sunburn in the shape of my sunglasses.
I need to plan a bike ride soon. I miss riding.
Heh yeah i got a nasty burn the other day... in only like 10 miles. California can be unforgiving.
> I need to plan a bike ride soon. I miss riding.
+1
+1